This morning I pulled some basic data from the National Institute of Mental Health about the prevalence of mood disorders.  Mood Disorders include such diagnoses as Major Depression, Dysthymia, and Bipolar Disorder.

According to the NIMH website, about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year have a mood disorder.  Major Depression is the most common of the mood disorders.  Look at the information below that I pulled from the NIMH website. 

Major Depressive Disorder:

• Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44.
• Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.
• While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32.
• Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.

Let me localize the numbers somewhat.  If we concluded that there are about 100,000 people age 18 or older in the Sioux Falls area, then we could conclude that about 9500 of them will suffer from a mood disorder this year.  Of those 9500 people with a mood disorder, about 6700 will fit the diagnosis of Major Depression sometime during this year.  That is a lot of people struggling with poor sleep and fatigue, feeling sad, finding it difficult to concentrate, losing any sense of pleasure in life, feeling overly or unnecessarily guilty, and sometimes struggling with the desire to complete suicide as a way out.  Depression is painful, and it compromises our ability to function well at work, in our relationships, and at times when we would otherwise by playing and having fun.  Depression sucks the life out of us.

If you struggle with depression, you need to know that most people who seek help for depression actually get better.  You won’t always feel the way you do.  The route to getting better commonly includes counseling, and may also include the use of antidepressant medication.  Family, friends, a supportive boss, a good marriage partner, and a healthy church can also be very helpful in getting you through those dark depressing days.  I encourage you to talk to your minister (or a minister), call a therapist and set up an appointment, and seek out the support of friends and family.  Depression is painful and can feel all-encompassing and unending...

But there is hope.  Depression can be treated very effectively.  Hang on to hope, and get the help you need.